


Designation: Soulmate

by Caiti (Caitriona_3)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Multi, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 09:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16910280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/Caiti
Summary: In a world where soulmates are matched by computers, a few rebels aren't following the program.





	Designation: Soulmate

**Author's Note:**

> So, this came from a tumblr prompt by vardaquareien. I did a poll to see who the soulmate should be and for a little while, I had a tie between Phil & Bucky, but then Bucky took the lead. So it all led to this.
> 
> Credits to GalahadsGurl for the banner.

[ ](https://imgur.com/5v36uiC)

Thanks to the advent of computers and the advancement in artificial intelligence in the second half of the twentieth century, many aspects of life became easier if left to the computer - scheduling, communication, shopping, et cetera. Then some clever data crunchers took the idea of online matchmaking and combined it with in-depth personality profiles to create a new computer program, one especially designed to find your perfect match - Designation: Soulmate. Marketing and slick packaging claimed that they could pair people up without all of the risks and time-consuming work of dating.

Seeing the potential for a more peaceful, stable relationships as well as a (hopefully) better society should this prove to be effective, people began to sign waivers and permission slips, allowing the program to access to all kinds of records in order to make sure the data analysis possessed all of the information necessary to make the right choice. Parents set up their children’s profiles when they came home from the hospital so the information began compiling sooner. Within a few generations, almost everyone used the program to find their life partner . . . or partners. (Much rarer, but still possible.)

Some people protested. They claimed the centralization of so much control and information would limit freedom. Did everyone really want to surrender their choices? But too many voices drowned out the warnings. They wanted safety, not freedom; security, not chance. 

In its first generation, people who avoided the idea were ‘too cautious’. By the second, they were ‘behind the times’. When the third generation came around, keeping your information private meant you were ‘seriously old-fashioned’. To be without it now, in the fourth generation, so many years after the invention of the program?

All but nonexistent except for a few rebellious souls.

“Call me a rebel,” Darcy Lewis muttered as she rolled her eyes at the television screen where the rom-com showed yet another couple receiving news of their Soulmate who lived on the opposite sides of the country. Now there would be the usual calamity of humorous events as they tried to get to each other, criss-crossing paths until they met by some random accident in some random town, in a random state. “These people need new ideas.”

Shutting off the television, she focused on her work and got lost in the data. While she might dislike putting her future in the hands of a computer, she knew how to work with them. Being the minder-slash-data drone for four genius scientists meant she not only made sure they ate, slept, and acknowledged the sunlight from time to time, but she also took their work and tried to translate it into something the non-geniuses could understand. Sometimes that came easy . . . sometimes it didn’t.

Jane - her half-finished sentences and notes scribbled on any writing surface she could find (including walls and windows) were old friends at this point, but sometimes Darcy would still trip over the odd notation that made her groan as she tracked the woman down for explanations.

Bruce - his reports tended to be much easier to translate as he filled them in with detailed precision. Her only issue came when he started to use the borders and back of the reports for designs and charts without giving her the key to explain the information..

Tony - don’t even get her started! And thank God for JARVIS. Tony did all of his reports via videos of him explaining as he worked. That wouldn’t be a problem except for his tendency to shift back and forth from stream of consciousness to absolute silence and back, sometimes without necessarily sticking to the same topic.

Betty - she wrote the best reports. All of them filled out, complete and clear and concise. The woman just never remembered to turn them in. Darcy had to go hunt her down and then they spent an hour finding them in whatever book or file she’s put them in for ‘safekeeping’.

So yes, Darcy spent many hours on her computer, earning her secondary (and minor) paycheck by turning Genius into English. The television had been an attempt to keep herself awake with noise until they decided to play something generic and overdone. Now she just wanted to get the work finished so she could go drop into bed and sleep for a healthy portion of the weekend.

“Ms. Lewis.”

The familiar voice drew her attention away from her computer. Blinking tired eyes, she tried to focus on the man standing in her doorway. After a few bleary moments, her gaze cleared enough for her to identify her guest. “Oh, hey, Agent iPod Thief, welcome to the cave of Science.”

“If I may interrupt your work for a moment?”

“Sure.” Darcy turned away from the computer screen. “What’s up? My crazy quartet of scientists aren’t here right now, so if you’re needing details or genius, you’ll have to call back later.”

“My current question is for you, Ms. Lews.”

“Huh.” Curiosity stirred within her, waking her up and brightening her eyes. “That’s new.” She gave him a sassy grin. “What can I help the original M.I.B. with?”

“Inaccurate,” he noted, “but we can deal with your knowledge of intelligence agencies later.” Her lips twitched, but she held in the chuckles as he continued. “According to your files, you do not acknowledge notifications from the Soulmate system.”

Silence fell in the lab as she could only blink at his comment. Maybe she needed sleep more than she thought? Was Coulson actually asking whether or not she paid attention to the matchmaking attempts of a computer program? Bewilderment settled into her expression as she started at him. “What?”

“Designation: Soulmate.”

Yep, he did say it. With a straight face, no less.

She rubbed her hands over her face. “Did you really come all the way up to the labs to interrupt my work to ask me about my lack of love for the matchmaking pretensions of a computer?” Thinking about her words, she glanced up. “No insult to the digitally-inclined J-Man.”

“None taken, Miss Lewis.”

Her eyes turned back to Coulson who watched her in amusement. Not that most could tell from his expression, but she’d become fluent in stoic thanks to being around so many snipers and spies on a regular basis. For a moment she wondered if she could claim to be multilingual now, but then dismissed the thought for later study. “I’m guessing you did,” she continued, “since you asked the question. So, the answer is - no, I don’t acknowledge them.” He raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. “I shut them off my first semester at Culver.”

“Is there any particular reason?” He moved to take the chair across from her, his gaze never wavering from hers.

“Because I don’t think any computer really has the ability to get into the human heart and pick out the perfect person for someone to love.” Leaning back in her chair, Darcy folded her arms over her chest. “Even JARVIS says it’s tricky and he’s still studying human emotions.” She lifted her eyebrows. “If J-Man can’t do it, then there’s not an AI in the world that can.”

“I appreciate your support, Miss Lewis.”

“Anytime, J.”

“The program has proven successful for years, Ms. Lewis,” Coulson reminded her.

“I wonder if Tony has a bet going on which one of you is going to break down and call me Darcy first,” she muttered. Then she shook her head. “People have _**settled**_ for years, Coulson. They gave up all of their choices to a computer and let it make the decisions for them. Who knows what people might find if they did it the old-fashioned ways and looked around?” She threw her hands up in the air. “Hell, look at Jane! Her match was a jackass. I’m just glad Thor arrived before she gave up and got married to the idiot or something!”

“A valid point.” He folded his hands on top of her table as he leaned forward. “And if your match comes looking for you?”

“Then they better be prepared for a battle.” Darcy grinned at him, her smile fierce in its power. “I’m not going to fall at their feet just because we’ve been ‘perfectly matched’.” Sarcasm all but poured through the words as she made finger quotes. 

“Understood.” Coulson rose to his feet, straightening his jacket. “Thank you, Ms. Lewis, I shall make note of your preference.”

“Wait . . . you know who it is?”

“Yes, of course.” The amusement turned a little smug as he turned and strolled towards the exit. “Good day, Ms. Lewis.” 

“Oh my God,” she muttered. “That man is such a troll!”

Days passed into weeks and nothing happened. No new people came into her life and no one already in her circle of acquaintances started acting weird. After awhile, she wrote the whole thing off as Coulson’s driving need to know everything about everyone around him. She knew her computer-selected ‘soulmate’ wasn’t him - Agent Melinda May all but had her ownership stamped on that man’s ass. 

Science continued on . . . and so did Avenging. 

Maybe Darcy had only been brought to the Tower for the science side of the equation, but no one would ever claim she knew how to stay within the lines. Once comfortable with the labs and her authority therein, she ended up getting involved with the spies and supers as well as the scientists. Too many times she watched them come in with injuries, some physical, some mental, all emotional - and she couldn’t just sit by and do nothing.

So she learned the best ways to help them.

Hawkeye and Black Widow needed time to let go of their hypervigilance and relax back into Clint and Natasha, so they kept tabs on everyone. More than once, Darcy found herself being followed by one or both of the spies and she knew Clint spent hours perching where he could watch over the labs or the common rooms. Natasha would pop up in odd places - not only the labs, but in Darcy’s apartment, at her favorite coffee shop, and - on one memorable occasion - at a science symposium.

Thor seemed to handle most of his issues without her interference and a good fight would pump him up, not tire him out. More often than not, she found herself hosting all night movie marathons with all the food she could muster available for snacking. Sometimes though...even the big guy needed help every so often. On those occasions, she would shut down Jane’s lab so he could wrap himself around his lady. 

Bruce already had help in the form of Betty, but Darcy kept an eye on him as well. Most of the time he just needed a long nap after Hulk came out, so she didn’t have to do much. She ran interference when he needed space, and kept his lab stocked with his favorite teas. 

When it came to Tony, she stayed out of the way and left it to Pepper. She’d love to help him, but he hated being vulnerable to anyone except Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy. One day they might reach a similar point, but until then, she settled for helping Pepper keep SHIELD and the public off his back until he had his emotional armor back in place. 

Then there were the super soldiers. 

Steve got quiet in the aftermath. While he’d been a soldier and knew casualties were unavoidable . . . civilians remained a sore spot for him. He hated seeing the normal folks getting hurt or worse because the crazy of the week went on a power or ego trip. That gave her the clue on how to help him though - she would find somewhere he could help and leave information where he would find it. Sometimes he’d be part of the cleanup crew and others, especially when people muttered under their breath about heroes, he’d visit children’s hospitals or VA centers.

On the other hand, she struggled to figure out what to do for his best friend. The Winter Soldier, aka Bucky Barnes, seemed to get stuck in Soldier-mode after a fight. Granted, that was probably because HYDRA - stupid, idiotic jackasses - never let him come out of it. They sent him off on his missions and then shoved him in that damn chair and cryo. He was always ‘on’ as it were, and that had carried over into his freedom.

Darcy struggled for weeks trying to figure out how to help Bucky come out of it. She spent a lot of her free time hanging out with him - watching movies, going out for drinks, random conversations in various places, even playing hangman with him while they watched the science quartet argue over various fine points of their experiments. Somehow the man became a vital part of her life. And he seemed to enjoy her company too, but she wasn’t sure how he saw her. Then, after one particularly rousing debate over music, he ended the argument by pulling her into a kiss. 

Electricity seemed to rush through her at the unexpected touch of his lips and she surrendered to it. Her hands came up, curling into the front of his shirt as she tried to pull him closer. _The man could kiss!_ After that one last thought, her brain went on hiatus to let her concentrate on her senses as they flooded with him. The feel of him, the scent of him . . . 

The taste . . . 

_God, I could get addicted to this!_

“Damn,” Bucky breathed out when they finally pulled back. “Been wanting to do that for weeks.”

Her breath still a little unsteady, fingers curled into his shirt, she stared up into his eyes. “So why the hell didn’t you?” she demanded. 

“Not a fucking clue.” He caught her chin in his hand, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip. A little more daring after that kiss, she nipped at it. “Such a little firecracker, aren’t you?” Those blue eyes darkened as his fingers tightened their hold. “Should I be worried about you having a soulmate out there somewhere, Baby?”

“ _ **I**_ pick my soulmate, soldier.” She released his shirt and ran her hands up over his shoulders. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tugged him down into another kiss. “And I think I found him.”

_**One year later...** _

“Got a confession, doll.” Bucky stilled her hands, pulling them away from where she worked on the buttons of his shirt.

“It better be a damn good one,” Darcy muttered. She fixed an unhappy expression on her face and glared at him. “This is interrupting us,” she noted. “I want us out of these layers and whatever this ‘confession’ is, it better be worth the wait time.”

He paused and she gave a soft growling noise. “It’s just . . . something I want out of the way.”

She huffed at him, but quit trying to pull herself free. “Okay, fine, spill.”

“I asked Coulson about the Soulmate thing.” 

“Tell me you didn’t?” She made a face at the very idea. “I told him months ago - I didn’t know, didn’t want to know, and sure didn’t want someone-.”

“Whoa, slow down, woman.” At her expression, his lips twitched into a quick grin and he bent his head to capture hers. When he managed to kiss her breathless, he pulled back. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t have anything to worry about.”

His comment made her roll her eyes. “What do you have to worry about?” she demanded. “I _**chose**_ you. Besides, if somebody showed up looking for me, you’d scare them off. Or have Natasha do it.” One shoulder came up in a half shrug as amusement bled into her gaze. “Or maybe you’d be really mean and have Steve give them the ‘Captain America is disappointed in you’ look. That’s a damn effective threat.”

“Pretty sure you could handle anybody without me getting involved, sweetheart,” he pointed out, “but I’d be happy to be your weapon if you need one.”

“Aww, now, see . . . there you go with the sweet again.” She twisted her wrists trying to get free. When he held her still, she sighed. “If you’d just let go of my hands, we could get on with the spice to match the sugar.”

“Yeah, that’s on the agenda,” he chuckled. “But first, about Coulson-.”

“Bucky…”

He shook his head at her whine. “It’s okay, Darce. He just said it wouldn’t be a problem. That the ‘match’ you got was just as rebellious as you and refused to use the program.”

“Good for them.” For a moment, she let herself wonder, but then pushed the thought away. Whoever they might have been, Darcy hoped they were as happy as she in her choice. Speaking of whom… She arched an eyebrow in challenge. “Now, soldier, about all of these layers?”

A dark and wicked light gleamed in his eyes. “Ma’am, yes ma’am,” he murmured as he leaned towards her. “Let me help you with that.”

_Meanwhile, in a nondescript office at SHIELD HQ…_

Phil Coulson shut off his computer as he prepared to return home for the evening. Everything had gone off without a hitch thanks to some determined planning and overseeing by various Avengers and agents. The Darcy Lewis and James Buchanan Barnes wedding might go down in history as one of the few Avenger events not to be interrupted by super villains or a new threat to the planet. He glanced at the open file on his desk.

_Designation: Soulmate - Darcy Lewis - confirmed match_  
_Identity: Philip J Coulson_

Amusement curved his lips into a rare smile.

“You’ll scare the children if they catch you looking like that.”

He glanced up at the calm words to catch the glint of humor in his own chosen mate’s gaze. “I’m sure they’ll survive the experience.” Closing the file, he marked it ‘Eyes Only’ and then buried it with some of the driest budget files he possessed. No reason to let the cat out of the bag - everyone was happy with their current status after all.


End file.
